Today, Dodgen's time at SMDC will be memorialized with the dedication of a conference room for him at 1 p.m. in the command's headquarters on the arsenal.

The event will include the unveiling of a bronze plaque, "A Soldier's Soldier."

"General Dodgen epitomized the leader we all strive to be - one who led with equal parts skill, passion and compassion," said Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell, who assumed command of SMDC from Dodgen in December 2006.

He said Tuesday that the dedication was "a small token of the great amount of respect we have for (Dodgen's) service.

"General Dodgen had a tremendous impact on this command and on the space and missile defense community, and truly made a difference in the lives of warfighters around the world," Campbell said.

Dodgen retired from the Army in 2007. He had been named corporate lead executive in Huntsville for Northrop Grumman and was 60 when he died in February of apparent heart problems while playing tennis.

His many assignments included commanding a Patriot missile battalion and later leading a Hawk-Patriot Task Force for 7th Corps during Desert Storm.

Years later, the ceremony in which he assumed command of Redstone Arsenal and the Army's Aviation and Missile Command was held on Sept. 10, 2001. Instead of getting to know the community and workings of the arsenal as he had planned, Dodgen focused on the security needs of the arsenal and city in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said former Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer.

She, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith and a host of current and retired military leaders are among the guests expected for today's dedication.

Campbell and Dodgen had known each other for decades, since serving as majors together in Fort Bliss, Texas, and later service in Germany. Over the years, Campbell said he found Dodgen was a visionary.

"He had a knack for seeing what was coming next and what we needed in our force," Campbell said in a Huntsville Times story after Dodgen's death.

"I was always very impressed with his ability to be looking ahead and planning not for tomorrow but for five or 10 years down the road. ...

"We need these folks in industry as well as in the Army. So it's a terrible loss."